Insect electrocutor



March 27, 1934. A 'w M. FROST w 1,952,795 I INSECT ELECTROCUTOR Filed Jan. 16, 1928 V gvvuewto'a [MEI/ '06! a I V Patented Mar; 27, 1934 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,952,795 INSECT ELECTROCUTOR.

William M. Frost, Spokane, Wash. Application January 16, 1928, Serial No. 247,105

9 Claims. (01. 43-112) The present invention relates to insect electroin one or more inclined planes. Most convenicutors, and particularly to devices of that charently the position of the grid construction will acter which comprise electric conductors arsubstantially coincide with the periphery of the ranged upon a hollow frameor support within or supporting frame.

I upon which some means for attracting insects The frame may be of any desired configuration may be placed. /The general subject-matter and which includes an inclined face or faces upon its a specific embodiment of the invention are disouter surface. The most convenient and satisclosed in my copending application Serial No. factory shapes, from the standpoint of produc- 177,610, filed March 23, 1927 which has matured tion and operation are the pyramid and the cone.

1 into Patent 1,730,814, issued October 8, 1929. i The conical or frusto-conical and the pyramidal The several embodiments of the invention disor frusto-pyramidal forms may be manufactured closed herein are particularly adapted for use in conveniently and economically. They permit the orchards and gardens, where moths and other ready installation of the conductors or electrodes insects injurious to growing crops are prevalent. upon the support and are especially adapted for 1| The principal object of my present invention the application thereto of ribs or projections is the provision of an insect electrocutor of such against which insects will strike while circling shape, design and construction that insects will about the device. be attracted to the device, .and...fling about it, Other objects and advantages of the invention will be caused to fall upon or in close proximity willbe apparent from the following specification 20 to electrically charged elements, or electrodes, by and drawing. in w ch like numerals refer to like which they will be electrocuted. The term elecparts, throughout the several views. trodes, used in this connection, is intended to Figure 1 of the drawing is a perspective View refer to electrically charged elements of any of a device of general pyramidal shape constructshape or form and from which an electrical dised in accordance with my present invention.

25 charge may be produced under the circumstances Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view through and conditions explained herein. a corner of the device of Fig. 1, showing the Another object of the invention is the provision method of securing the electrodes in position, of an insect electrocutor of the general type the electrode elements on the rear faces of the referred to which will have one or more of its device being omitted for the sake of clarity of 80 walls in the form of an electrocuting element or illustration. elements resembling a grid or. grids so constructed In its preferred form my invention comprises and disposed that the device will operate more spaced horizontal or substantially horizontal efficiently and produce improved results. conductors supported in parallel relation upon A further object of the invention is the proa frame of generally frusto-pyramidal shape.

35 vision of an insect electrocutor of the character An example of this preferred form is shown in of construction and operation in which each of Fig. 1. Various kindsand constructions of conthe electrode elements employed may be formed ductors or electrodes may be secured or attached of a single piece of metal or of a small number to the frame. For example, they may be in the of assembled similar electrode units. form of stamped metal strips or ribs, as illus- 40 A further object is the designing of the electrated in Fig. 1. trode elements in such fashion that they can The device shown comprises a base 1, top 2 and readily be produced from sheet metal by metalcorner posts 3, the latter being of insulating stamping machinery of any well-known type. material. The base and top may be of metal.

A still further object is the provision of a de- Supported upon this frame, and insulated from.

4.5 vice of this character which can be readily asthe metallic parts, are electrodes 4 and 5. The sembled and which can therefore be easily and inner electrode 5, of frusto-pyramidal shape, economically manufactured. is disposed within the posts 3, the corners of the These objects I attain by the arrangement of electrode being recessed to fit the posts. spaced parallel electric conductors secured upon The outer electrode 4 is also frusto-pyramidal 50' a hollow support or frame of special shape and in shape. Its corners fit closely about the corner construction. posts 3. This electrode, like electrode 5, is suit- I preferably employ a supportof such conably insulated from base 1 and top 2. figuration that electric conductor elements may Each of the electrodes 4 and 5 may be formed be so arranged thereon in spaced parallel relation of four substantially flat electrode elements, ,each

55 as 1 form 0116 more dke elements lying being a grid-like structure comprising, marginal strip portions '7 and 8 and spaced parallel ribs or vanes 9 and 10 bent out of the plane of the marginal portion and connected to therespective marginal portions by arms, 13, 14. Each of these electrode elements may be from a single sheet of metal, suitable cutting dies being used to cut the ribs 9, 10, arms 13, 14, and their connecting strips '7 and 8 in the proper outline and stamping dies of proper configuration then being employed to force the ribs to their proper position relative to the marginal portions of the electrode.

After the electrode elements have been formed in the manner described above they are assembled, as in Fig. 1, to produce the complete electrodes 4 and 5. The several grid-like electrode elements of electrode 5 may be secured together by welding, or in any other suitable way. The similar elements of the outer electrode 4 are assembled upon the outer side of the corner posts and secured together in any suitable manner, as, for example, by a tongue and groove connection 13. When assembled, each corner of the. outer electrode 4 has a recess in which one of the corner posts is received.

The arms 13 of outer electrode 4 extend inwardly and arms 14 of inner electrode 5 outwardly, the ribs or vanes 9, 10 consequently being positioned one above another in a plane between the planes of the marginal portions of the respective electrodes.

Each rib 9, 10 may be bent to lie at any desired angle. It is preferable to bend all of the ribs to such an extent that the maximum amount of light from an electric lamp 15 or other source of illumination may pass between them. Care must be observed, however, not to space the ribs so far apart that insects will Be able to pass between them without being electrocuted.

In operation, the electrodes 4 and 5, respectively, are supplied with current of opposite polarityfrom a transformer (not shown) preferably mounted in the top 2 of the device and connected to the lighting circuit through lamp 15. Thus the lighting circuit can be used both to attract the insects and to electrocute them.

In use, insects are attracted to the device at night by the light from lamp 15, and in the daytime by suitable bait placed within the hollow frame. Moths and other insects approaching the device will circle rapidly about it, gradually closer and closer to the light or bait. Their circular or spiral path will eventually bring them so close to the device that they will either come into contact with the charged electrodes or strike against one or the other of the projecting ribs formed at the corners of the device by the junction of adjacent electrode elements of electrode 4. When the latter occurs, the insects, stunned or disabled by the blow, will fall toward the ground. If the sides of the device were vertical or inwardly inclined, the insects would fall clear of the device and would in most instances not be killed. With my present device, however, they will fall directly upon one of the inclined grids formed by electrodes 4 and 5, causing their immediate electrocution;

I claim:

1. In an insect electrocuting trap of cage-like form, the combination with a support, of a trap portion comprising a pair of cage-like electrodes one within the other, said electrodes including alternately spaced overlapping horizontally disposed positive and negative blades, said blades being turned about their longitudinal axes to place only their longitudinal edges in the inner and outer surface planes of said electrodes.

2. An .insect electrocuting trap comprising cage-like electrodes, one within the other, said electrodes including spaced alternating blades disposed in parallel horizontal planes.

3. An insect electrocuting trap comprising cage-like electrodes one within the other, each of said electrodes including spaced blades disposed in parallel planes and the blades of each electrode being projected edgewise between adjacent blades of the other electrode into overlapping relation.

4. An insect electrocuting trap comprising cage-like electrodes one within the other and each having blade-supporting strips, the inner electrode including horizontally disposed blades connecting its blade-supporting strips and projecting outwardly, the outer electrode including horizontally disposed blades connecting its bladesupporting strips and projecting inwardly into overlapping relation with the blades of the inner electrode and being in spaced alternating arrangement therewith, the horizontal planes of all of said blades being parallel.

5. An electric insect trap comprising a pair of upwardly tapering, cage-like electrodes, one within and insulated from the other, each electrode including blades disposed edgewise in parallel horizontal planes, the blades of the inner and outer electrodes being in spaced alternating relation and projecting respectively outwardly and inwardly to overlap and lie in the same in-. clined plane.

6. An electric insect trap comprising a cagelike electrode formed of peripherally spaced inclined blade-supporting members and spaced blades connecting said members, a second cagelike electrode formed of peripherally spaced inclined blade-supporting members and spaced 115 blades connecting said last-mentioned members, I all of said blades being disposed edgewise in parallel horizontal planes and one of said electrodes being disposed within the other and insulated therefrom, with the blades of one electrode lying 120 between and in spaced relation with the blades of the other electrode in the same inclined plane.

7. The combination in an insect electrocuting trap with a housing and a transformer therein,

of a trap portion comprising a pair of upwardly tapering cage-like electrodes below said housing, one of said electrodes being disposed within and spaced from the other, said electrodes being connected with said transformer and formed of a pair of upper conductor bands, one within and spaced from the other, a pair of lower conductor bands, one within and spaced from the other, spaced inclined conductor strips respectively connecting the pairs of inner and outer bands, and blades connecting said inclined strips, said blades being disposed edgewise in parallel horizontal planes, and the blades of the inner and outer electrodes being in spaced alternating re-- lation and projecting respectively outwardly and inwardly to overlap and lie in the same inclined plane.

8. An insect electrocutor comprising two spaced concentric frusto-pyramidal electrodes, the side walls thereof being formed of grid-like members including parallel blades, and the blades of each of said members being bent edgewise toward those of the corresponding member of the other electrode to lie in substantially the same plane in spaced alternating relation.

9. In an insect electrocutor, upwardly tapering 150 cage-like electrode frames, one within and spaced from the other, spaced electrode blades supported on the frame of the inner electrode and disposed in parallel planes to form an'upwardly tapering grid-like structure, spaced parallel electrode blades supported on the frame of the outer electrode, portions of the blades of each elec- 

